Self-projected missiles



A. LIGHTBODY ET AL May 15, 1956 SELF-PROJECTED MISSILES Filed June 5, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 y 1956 A. LIGHTBODY ETAL SELF-PROJECTED MISSILES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 5. 1952 awn/rm A. A /GF/7BODV J M J fil /IVS 700/ May 15, 1956 A. LIGHTBODY ET AL 2,745,347

SELF-PROJECTED MISSILES Filed June 5, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 May 15, 1956 A. LIGHTBODY ETAL 2,745,347

SELF-PROJECTED MISSILES Filed June 5, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 mam/70m 14. L/Gf/TBODV a J. M. Jflfl/I/S TON nited States 2,745,347 SELF-PROJECTED MISSILES Application June 5, 1952, Serial No. 291,932

Claims priority, application Great Britain July 6, 1951 8 Claims. (Cl. 10249) This invention relates to a self-projected missile of the kind having discardable, wrapped-round, boost motorsi. e., at least two symmetrically-arranged boost motors disposed round the missile, with their axes parallel thereto, to provide acceleration during the initial stage of the flight for a matter of a few seconds, prior to their being discarded.

In practice it is known to use four such symmetricallyarranged boost motors respectively disposed between four main wings of the missile. Alternatively, each boost mtor could be replaced by a group of two or more motors.

The main object of the invention is to ensure that all the boost motors will be simultaneously discarded without damaging the. missile or causing deviations in its course.

According to the invention, the boost motors are carried by frame members forming an axially-slidable ring round the missile, at the front, when secured to one another by catches (preferably in the form of toggles) which are releasable by rearward axial movement of the ring when the thrust of the motors .is sufficiently reduced, each motor, or group of motors, being also carried by a member at its rear end which has a sliding or articulating hooked engagement, with the missile, releasable when the latter member is slid rearwardly, during which movement a means is applied to the latter member to prevent forward movement thereof.

According to a further feature of the invention, the boost motors are secured to the missile at two axiallyspaced places, the forward attachment including arcuate frame members which carry the motors and are connected together, so as to form round the missile an axially slidable ring thereon, by releasable catches (preferably in the form of toggles) which are held in contracting position (whilst the thrust of the motors is sufiiciently great) by engagement with rearwardly-extending pins which are restrained axially on the missile.

According to a still further feature of the invention, the boost motors are secured to the missile at two axiallyspaced places in such a manner that the complete boost assembly can slide rearwardly when the thrust of the motors is sufiiciently reduced, the rear attachment of each motor or group of motors including a rearwardly-open, hooked or female part fast with the missile and slidably engaged with a forwardly-directed hooked or male part fast with a member which carries the motor (or group), said member, when the assembly slides rearwardly as aforesaid, engaging a stop in which position the coacting hooked or male and female parts are just clear of one another, the said member being then restrained against side movement by means of a slotted connection, and being also axially located by mechanism which does not prevent pivotal movement of the said member in an outward direction about the rear attachment.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a fragmentary plan of a self-projected missile with four discardable groups of boost motors, each group comprising two boost motors and being disposed atent 2,745,347 Patented May 15, 1956 2 with their rear ends between an adjacent pair of main wings of the missile;

Figure 2 is an elevation of the missile, to a smaller scale, after the boost motors have been discarded;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevation, taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 and to a larger scale, showing the front attachment means for. the groups of boost motors;

Figure 4 is a still further enlarged, fragmentary view, looking in the direction of the arrow 4 of Figure 6, mainly of the connecting means between two of the front arcuate frame members, Figure 5 being a substantially similar view but taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 6, which latter figure is a fragmentary section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is an exploded view of one of the toggle catches and associated parts in perspective;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary view, to a smaller scale, corresponding to those of Figures 4 and 5 when one of the toggle catches is released;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary section, to a smaller scale than that of Figures 4, 5 and 6, taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 10, and Figure 10 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 10-10 of Figure 9, showing keying means for slidingly guiding the front ends of a group of boost motors;

Figure 11 is a fragmentary elevation, to the scale of that of Figure 3, of the rear attachment means for one group of boost motors, looking in the direction of the arrow 11 of Figure 12;

Figure 12 is an elevation of the rear attachment means at one of the laterally spaced attachment points, taken on the line 12-12 of Figure 11; and

Figure 13 is an enlarged fragmentary view thereof.

In the construction shown, the missile 20 has four main wings 21 spaced angularly from one another at and four similarly spaced tail wings 22. There are, as stated, four groups of boost motors 23, each group comprising two motors and being arranged with their trailing ends between an adjacent pair of the main wings 21, as disclosed in the specification accompanying co-pending Patent Application Serial No. 291,931 filed June 5, 1952.

The front attachment means comprises an arcuate frame member 24 for each group of boost motors, the arcuate member having two ring portions 25, 26 in which the respective boost motors of the group are mounted, the ring portions being bolted together by means of bolts 27. In addition, each arcuate frame member 24 is secured to the adjacent arcuate member, by means of releasable catches which are shown in the form of toggles, to form a continuous ring slidable on the front end of the missile.

Each toggle catch has one main curved arm 29 which is pivotally mounted on one of the arcuate frame members at 30 and hinged at 31, near its other end, to a short toggle arm 32 the free end of which is concave and adapted to engage with a cross pin 33 carried by the other arcuate member. Each toggle catch is mounted in a recess provided in the associated arcuate portions 24.

Figures 3, 4 and 5 show the toggle catches held in their closed position (in which they are slightly underset) by holes in the free ends 34 of the arms 29 being engaged by the ends 35 (Figures 5 and 6) of pins which are fast with keys 36 axially located in slots 37 in the surface of the missile. Rearward movement (relatively to the missile) of the boost motors, when their thrust falls below a predetermined value, causes the pin ends 35 to release the free ends 34 of the toggle arms 29, whereupon the toggle catches open out, as indicated by Figure 8, to allow the separation from one another of the arcuate frame members 24, such separation also removing the keys 36 from the axially locating slots 37.

For setting up purposes the pins 33 are constituted by a blade, of each member working in a machined longitudinal slot in the missile to restrain said member against side movement, and spring-pressed wedging means carried by said member for axially locating it when slid rearwardly as aforesaid.

5. A missile according to claim 4, characterized by two axially-spaced coacting hooked parts for each rear attachment, said wedging means coacting with the rearwardly-placed coacting hooked parts.

6. A missile according to claim 3, in which each of said members carries a spacing strut having a tail which is normally spaced clear of the periphery of the missile but which is adapted to bear thereon during the outward pivotal movement of said member.

7. A self-projected missile having discardable, boost motor units secured fore and aft for rearward axial movement relatively to the missile when the thrust of the units is sufficiently reduced, in which the aft securing means for each unit includes a longitudinally-extending plate in the interior of the missile having two, axiallyspaced rearwardly-directed hooks lying in a slot means in the surface of the missile, said plate also having at the 7 rear end a stop member extending through the slot means in the surface of the missile, a member carrying the rear end of the unit a main forwardly-extending hook on the forward end of said member to fully engage with the forward of said rearwardly-extending hooks until said unit has moved fully rearwardly, and a forwardly-extending hook on the rear end of said member for lightly engaging the rearwardly-placed of said rearwardly-extending hooks, said stop member being positioned rearwardly of the rearward forwardly-extending hook by a distance which is not less than the rearward movement of the unit necessary to disengage the front pair of coacting hooks, in combination with a spring-pressed wedging device adapted when sufiicient rearward movement of the unit takes place to engage between the rearwardly-placed coacting hooks and thus prevent forward movement of the unit, whilst holding the rearwardly-placed, forwardly-extending hook against said stop member.

8. A self-projected missile, according to claim 7, in which the rearward of the forwardly projected hooks, for each boost motor unit, has at its rear face and at its radially-inward end a rearward extension adapted to engage with a corresponding socket provided in the stop member when the unit has moved fully rearwardly.

Goddard July 7, 1914 Smythe Jan. 30, 1951 

